Assassin's Prize
by kasumi977
Summary: Kaoru has always been just another girl who just doesn't fit in in her town of Kyoto and when she is given the choice of being the Battousai's prize to save her town, she takes it, throwing her whole world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

It was late afternoon in the normally busy town of Kyoto. But it wasn't busy at all now. There were barely a handful of people out in the market place and it was late spring, so it wouldn't be getting dark for a little while, which meant the weather was no reason for the absence of the people. No one would walk around without at least one other person with them and they would barely walk around outside anyways. People were afraid to be out nowadays because of the recent assassinations that were taking place all over the country. Important yet corrupt figures in the government were being killed and it was no secret who was killing them.

It was no secret who was killing them either, though not much was being done to stop the assassins because everyone was too scared of them. The band of assassins that was led by the infamous Battousai and all of them were known for their amazing fighting abilities. It was also no secret where their hideout was either, because the band had been very open about it. It was a large castle that lay between Tokyo and Kyoto, that's why the people of Kyoto were so on edge.

Only one of the people walking around the market was walking by themselves and it was a young woman that everyone was staring at, not surprised, but warily. Her name was Kaoru Kamiya and she ran the dojo on the outskirts of town all by herself since her father had died. She had never quite fit in around town and she had few friends, so the people were always watching her when she came around. Most people didn't approve of her teaching kendo to the children of the town, even though only a few boys bothered to go.

Today she headed for the small bookstore next to the Akebeko that was empty except for the bookseller and a hooded man who was looking at the shelves on the wall. Hooded cloaks were nothing suspicious in the city anymore, since everyone had suddenly decided that if they wore the hoods of their cloaks up, they would be spared if they were threatened by the Battousai and his gang.

Kaoru pays no attention the hooded man as she walks up the bookseller with a smile and pulls a book out of her bag, handing it to him. "Thank you for lending me the book, Hinzen. You were right; it really was a good book."

"No problem Kaoru, but I just gave you this book, don't tell me you finished it already." Hinzen the bookseller said jovially, taking the book back and putting it back in its place on the shelf. Normally he didn't give out his books, but he and his wife had been friends with Kaoru's parents before they died, so he knew he could trust her with the books. He glances at the man browsing the shelves before turning back to Kaoru. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well, I need two books. One is the epic tale of Katsu, you know, the history of kendo. And the other is a book I've never heard of before, but that one of the boys told me I should read. It's called Hiten Mitsurugi, I think. It's all about a sword style and it's supposed to be very interesting." Kaoru explained, not noticing the hooded man look up when she mentions the name of the book.

"Hiten Mitsurugi? Well, that sounds vaguely familiar, why don't you wait here and I'll go look." Hinzen said as he disappeared into the back of the store.

Kaoru looks around the bookstore with a smile; she had always felt safe here, especially after her parents had died. Hinzen and his wife Mai always treated her like she was one of their own and had always looked out for her when she hit a spot of trouble with any of the townspeople.

"What has you interesting in the Hiten Mitsurugi book?" A smooth, deep voice broke her out of her slight daze. Looking around, she sees that the hooded stranger had turned to look at her, his unique golden eyes showing his curiosity and interest. Kaoru looked over his face with a soft blush, noticing that he was pretty handsome, even with the scar of an X on his left cheek. Everything about him seemed unique as she noticed his bangs were a dark natural red.

"Oh, well, one of my students said that it was an interesting book on the fighting style, so I thought I would give it a read." Kaoru explain, remembering that he probably expected an answer instead of being ogled.

"Ah. And what kind of students do you teach that would want to read about fighting?" He asked. This woman had caught his attention and his interest, which was not an easy thing to do. Even blushing, he could tell that she was able to take care of herself if need be.

"I'm a kendo teacher. I teach the Kamiya Kasshin style." She said, looking at the guy a little suspiciously. Most people when they learned this, turned rather nasty, so she was on her toes, ready for it. The answer she got surprised her more than anything.

"That's interesting. What kind of style is that?"

No one had ever asked her that before, they just slide into snide remarks about how a woman shouldn't be teaching children to fight. You could have knocked Kaoru over with a feather. Blushing softly again, she looks at the man with a small smile and starts to explain it to him, completely forgetting that she was waiting for Hinzen to bring her the books she wanted because she was enjoying talking to the stranger. And he actually seemed interesting about it, taking off his hood to show his flame red hair tied back in a pony tail and moving over to her so she wasn't shouting across the room, which he noticed with a small amount of pleasure, caused her to blush again.

Hinzen walks in in the middle of their conversation and clears his throat to make his presence known; smiling softly at the fact that Kaoru seemed to be happily chatting away with the stranger.

"Here are your books Kaoru, and I found the book you were looking for sir." Hinzen said, handing each of them their respective books and taking their money. He smiles as they walk out of the store together before going upstairs to his and his wife's little flat above the store to tell her about it.

In the street, Kaoru and the stranger continued to talk on their way to Kaoru's dojo, almost walking past it before the stranger notices it has the same name as the style they were talking about and pointing it out to her. She flushes a little in embarrassment at missing her own home and stands in front of the door with him.

"It was very nice talking to you Miss…"

"Kaoru. Kaoru Kamiya." She said, introducing herself and holding a hand out to shake his.

"Kaoru. Well, it's very nice to meet you Kaoru." He said, taking her hand and leaning down to kiss it softly, causing her cheeks to flame up again and her to smile.

"It was very nice to meet you too Mr.…"

"Kenshin. Kenshin Himura"

"Thank you for walking me home Kenshin." She said quietly, still blushing as she pulls her hand away softly and hugs her books to her chest and turning to the door. He smiles and nods, waiting for her to go in before starting down the road again. Now that he had met Kaoru, his plans had changed just a little.


	2. Chapter 2

_'God, why won't this blush go away?!'_ Kaoru thought as she looks at herself in the mirror. That mysterious stranger had walked her home and left almost two hours ago and here she still was, blushing at the fact that he had been so sweet and handsome. She had tried to start reading the book on Hiten Mitsurugi as well, but her mind would keep wandering back to Kenshin.

She almost didn't hear the knock on the door, which effectively pulled her out of her daze. Opening the door, she finds herself face to face with Hajime Saitou, the city's captain of the police and a major pain in her ass. He seemed to enjoy pissing her off whenever he could, though she tried to get under his skin whenever she could as well. Glaring up at him, she crosses her arms and leans against the door frame.

"What do you want Saitou?" She asked in a biting tone. She was unable to think why he was here. She had paid her bills this month, which was usually the only reason he dropped by for these unpleasant visits.

"Hello raccoon. Now, I need to ask you a couple of questions." He explains coolly, smirking down at her though it was obvious that he was angry about something. "You're not so thick headed that you don't know about the Battousai and his murderous gang, are you?"

"Yes, I've heard of the Battousai." She snaps, knowing that this was going to take a while if he was bent on insulting her at every turn. Why did he have to come right after her great time with Kenshin?

"Well, he's made a demand of the city. He said he won't attack anyone in the town if his demand is met." Saitou explains, his anger slowly fading, though Kaoru had no idea why.

"What demand did he make?" She asked carefully, wondering why Saitou would be telling her this.

"He follows a different set of laws than us, so he's demanded a prize." Saitou said cryptically. His anger had totally dissipated as he smirks, thinking up a way to please the Battousai and still torture her at the same time.

"What, exactly, is his prize?" Kaoru asked, starting to get very annoyed at how pointless this conversation was.

"He's demanded a slave. You, actually." He explained, his mirthless smirk getting wider as he glared down at her, enjoying how her face had suddenly lost all of its blood.

"W-what?" She stuttered as she looks up at him, incredulous. Why would the Battousai want her? How would he even know of her? All of these questions went racing through her mind as she waits for Saitou to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face and answer her damn question.

"He wants you, Kaoru Kamiya, as his prize." Saitou explained, enjoying the look of confusion and pain on her face. "And if you don't do it, he's going to start killing people in our town." Knowing that she would never let that happen, he watched with cruel pleasure as Kaoru's resolve broke and she gave in, slumping against the door frame and nodding.

"Ok….." She said quietly, unable to look him in the eye, knowing that he must have been enjoying this immensely. "Let me just grab some stuff-"

"We have no time and it's not allowed. You are now the assassin's prize, so he owns you. Slaves don't own anything and we have to go now. Let's go!" He barked as he walked to the outer gate of the dojo. Damn girl, still trying to be independent. She follows behind him slowly, looking back at her house and trying not to cry.

As they reached the city, everyone was at the windows. Apparently the news had already spread across the village. As they passed Hinzen's store, Hinzen came out and looked at her sadly, trying to smile to make her feel better.

"Take care of the dojo Hinzen…..please" Kaoru said weakly as she looked up at him. She was going to miss him and Mai and all of her other friends, even if there weren't many.

"Hurry up, raccoon!" Saitou snapped again as he continued to the edge of the town where there were three mounted horses waiting. "Here we are. Now, here's your prize Battousai, just remember your promise to stay away from this town."

"I'll remember, don't worry." Came a voice from the man on the center horse that made her look up suddenly. She had to stare up at him in surprise as he pulled down his hood and smiled down at her softly. "Hello again Kaoru."

It was Kenshin. Kenshin was the Battousai. This couldn't be true. Kaoru just stared up at him in amazement before remembering she was suppose to be his slave and looking down. "Hello Battousai."

That hurt. She looked at him like she couldn't believe it was him and then she wouldn't look at him at all. Looking from Kaoru to Saitou, who had a satisfied smirk plaster on his face, he decided that it had to have been because of Saitou. The bastard.

Glaring at the cop, he nudges his horse, a large, black stallion, forward and reaches a hand down to Kaoru. She look at his hand and then up at him with a small smile before taking his hand and squeaking slightly as he pulls her up onto the horse in front of her.

"Hopefully we don't meet again Battousai." Saitou said icily as Kenshin turned his horse around and the other two horsemen came onto each side of him.

"Hopefully we won't." Kenshin said smoothly, glaring back at the cop before nudging his horse forward and starting a gallop towards the countryside, flanked on each side by his men.

Once they were out of sight of the town, they slowed down to a trot and the men pulled down there hoods to show a man with spiky brown hair who slightly reminded Kaoru of a rooster and a younger boy who was smiling kindly. Kaoru looked up at Kenshin, wondering what she was going to have to do as his slave. He hadn't struck her as the type to have slaves.

"Well, you sure chose a cute little missy for your prize." The rooster headed man said, causing Kaoru to blush softly and glare at him a little, which just made him laugh. "She's got a spirit too. Nice choice Battousai."

"Shut up Sano, can't you see you're embarrassing her? I'm sorry about him Miss Kaoru, but he's always like this." The smiling boy explained before introducing himself and the rooster head that was called Sano. "I'm Soujiro Seta, and that rooster headed idiot is Sanosuke Sagara."

Kaoru had to giggle that someone else also thought that Sano resembled a rooster. She could feel Kenshin chuckle behind her as well and looked up to see him smiling down at her before looking up and pointing something out. Kaoru looks up and saw a huge castle looming up in front of them.

"Welcome to your new home Kaoru." Kenshin whispered quietly into his ear as all three horses raced towards the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

They reached the large gate that surrounded the castle, which immediately opened when they saw Kenshin, Sano, and Soujiro. Kaoru just looked around in amazement as they ride inside and to the stables that were on the far side of the large courtyard. Kenshin got off the horse first before helping Kaoru down, which caused her to blush. She smiles up at him once she's on her feet before looking down at the floor.

"So, what do you think of your new home?" Kenshin asked as he tucked her arm under his and led her slowly inside the castle, up the large stair case that was in the entrance of the hall.

"It's beautiful…" Kaoru said quietly as she looked around amazed and let herself be led through the castle. She looked up at him curiously when they stop in front of a big set of doors and he just smiled in return, his eyes twinkling as he opened the door and led her into a huge room with a big four poster bed, a desk that was covered in papers, and a balcony that had a beautiful view of the hills and the garden below.

"This is our room." Kenshin said after he closed the door and leaned against the wall, watching her explore the room with a handsome smirk on his face. Kaoru liked it a lot more than she like Saitou's. Blushing softly, she nods slowly and goes to look out at the view from the balcony, leaning her elbows on the railing and clasping her hands lightly as she looks out at the beautiful landscape. She had known something like this would happen since she was his slave, she just hoped that it would happen later on.

Kenshin watches her closely, noticing the slight change in her face as he mention it was their room. She had frozen up a little and that was confusing her. He follows her out to the balcony and stands next to him.

"Are you hungry?" Kenshin asked lightly, wanting the Kaoru that he had talked to at the bookstore. Not this quiet shell of her that would barely look at him. Leaning against the railing as she was, he takes one of her hands in his and looks at her curiously, his golden eyes searching her face for some clue of what was wrong.

He was about to ask what was wrong when a knock came at the door and a beautiful woman came into the room, smiling at Kenshin. For some reason, Kaoru was starting to feel jealous of her because Kenshin straightened up and leaned back against the railing, looking at the woman warily.

Kaoru straightened up as well and leaned back against the railing, still feeling jealous of the woman for some reason until Kenshin clasps her hand and smiles at her softly before looking back to the woman who was smiling with a slight glint in her eyes.

"What do you want Megumi?" Kenshin asked, knowing that glint in her eyes meant that Sano had done something wrong again and she wanted permission to punish him. Though she only asked permission so he could talk her out of killing Sano.

"Welcome back Battousai. This must be the beautiful prize that Sano just won't stop talking about." Megumi said, smiling kindly at Kaoru, which eased her jealousy a little more. The tone of Megumi's voice made it obvious that she and Sano were together, though what she said made Kaoru blush lightly. Kenshin just started laughing and once he was able to get it under control, he smiled at Kaoru before smiling at Megumi.

"Megumi, you may punish Sano however you want, just don't kill him. I don't need you assassinating my assassins." Kenshin said in a rehearsed tone, which made Megumi smile brightly and nod before she left them alone to go and punish Sano. They would probably find him later, tied up and hanging from a tree.

After Megumi left, Kenshin leaned down and kissed Kaoru on the cheek before leading her back inside and out of the room. Kaoru, blushing darkly from the kiss, just let herself get pulled along, smiling softly.

"Kenshin, where are we going?" She asked as he led her down the stairs and down a hall.

"The kitchen. You might be hungry and I know I am. I didn't want to leave you alone so soon after bringing you to the castle." He said, smiling brightly back at him as they enter a kitchen that was bustling and warm. Kaoru looked around before smiling up at him and letting herself be led to a table in the corner where Soujiro and another young boy were sitting and arguing about something. Well, the young boy was arguing and Soujiro was just sitting there and smiling, every once in a while pointing out something that derailed the young boy's argument. "Hello Soujiro. Yahiko."

"Hello Battousai." They both reply before going back to their argument. Kaoru had to laugh softly as she and Kenshin sat down across from them and watched them quietly as kitchen hands came around quickly, putting down a plate filled with food in front of them and a glass filled with wine each. Kaoru looks down at the food before smiling up at Kenshin.

"This all looks delicious." She said before starting to eat, starting to feel comfortable around him again. He was becoming just Kenshin again, not the Battousai, though she never forgot that she was his slave. "Mm, I was right, it is."

He laughs and starts to eat as well. "You're right, it is. We'll have to compliment Tae later. She's the head cook and she and her apprentice Tsubame are amazing. I believe that little Yahiko is a big fan of Tsubame." Kenshin said as he sat back and sipped his wine, laughing a little as Yahiko turns bright red and glares at him.

"Hey Battousai! You promised you wouldn't say anything! And don't call me little!" Yahiko yells, slamming his fists down on the table and shaking all of the plates. That didn't stop anyone from their work, so Kaoru took it to be a normal happening. She had to giggle a little and sipped her wine as well, noticing Kenshin watching her from the corner of her eye and smiling over at him shyly. They finish their meal and go over to the woman and the young girl that were working at the stoves.

"Kaoru, this is Tae and her apprentice Tsubame, the masterminds behind that delicious meal." Kenshin said as they turned around and smiled at him and Kaoru.  
"So this is who you chose as prize, huh Battousai? Well, she's very pretty. Thank you for the compliment as well." Tae said, smiling kindly at them as Kaoru blushes and smiles at them as well.

"It really was very delicious. I can't even cook ramen, let alone something as good as that." Kaoru said, her blush fading a little.  
"Well anytime you want, you can come down and we'll teach you how to cook." Tsubame said quietly, smiling up at Kaoru.

Kaoru smiles brightly and nods happily. "I'd like that, thank you!"

"Now that you've all made friends, it's late and we're going to bed. Night everyone." Kenshin said as Kaoru's blush came back full force. She follows him back to their room and sits on the bed as he goes to the huge walk-in closet and changes out of his clothes. Coming back out in his boxers, he smirks softly when he sees her blush and hands her a dark blue, silk nightgown.

"I had to borrow this from Megumi, I'm sorry. First thing tomorrow, we'll go and get you some new clothes." He explained as she took the nightgown and stood up, smiling shyly up at him.

"It's beautiful…thank you." She said before heading into the bathroom to change. Kenshin lay on his bed, on top of the silk black sheets and waited for him.

"You're welcome, I chose it because I thought it would bring out your eyes……" he trailed off as Kaoru came out in the nightgown which hugged her curves perfectly and, as he had been explaining, brought out her beautiful blue eyes perfectly. She blushes and crawls onto the bed next to him, suddenly self-conscience.

She had never slept with a man before and she didn't want to disappoint him by being horrible at it. He surprised her as he leaned over to kiss her softly, which made her face turn into a tomato as she shyly kissed him back. She was just starting to get the hang of it and was really starting to enjoy it when he pulled away and pulled the covers over them before laying down with her and wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to his chest before kissing her forehead and closing his eyes. "Goodnight Kaoru…."

Confused and surprised, she continues to blush as she snuggles against him and yawns, thankful that he hadn't pushed himself on her but also a little disappointed. She closes her eyes and starts to drift off as well. "Goodnight Kenshin…."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Kaoru woke up to find that Kenshin had already left. He had left a rose on his pillow though, which Kaoru lifted to her nose and smelled softly before smiling and slipping out of bed. At the foot of the bed, he had laid out an outfit for her, a beautiful, lavender kimono with white cherry blossoms on it. Smiling, she walks into the bathroom and slips it on, tying it before walking out and finding herself face to face with a grinning Sano.

"Morning there Missy. Battousai's dealing with some urgent business for today, so I'm to escort you around the castle today." Sano said as he put his hands behind his head and looked her up and down.

"You look nice. Battousai asked for that one yesterday after your little meeting in the market place. I've never seen him smiling so much like that. Come on now, we're gonna grab a quick breakfast and then I'm to take you wherever you want." Sano said as Kaoru blushed and they started out of the room down to the kitchens again.

It was much less crowded this morning. They sat down at the same table as before and another kitchen hand brought them a light breakfast, which Sano practically inhaled while Kaoru ate at a normal pace. Once they were done, they left the kitchen and just wandered around a little.

"Where is Ken…..the Battousai?" Kaoru asked, not sure if she was allowed to call him Kenshin now that she was his slave. Sano laughed and looked down at her with a goofy smile.

"Probably in the torture room, better known as the meeting room. Since he's the boss, he has to deal with all of the complaints and all of the other lords around here who want to buy us out and stuff. You might not know this, but the only reason we kill people is because we're paid to." Sano explained as they wandered into the garden where there were a bunch of men doing katas. Sano led her over to a bench and sat down, leaning back and watching the guys, an evil glint in his eyes as he smirks causing Kaoru to giggle.

"You're planning something. I know that look; the little boys in my old kendo class had the same one when they were planning on sabotaging one another." Kaoru said, smiling sadly as she remembered that she would never teach another kendo class again and that she would never see the little boys again. Sano, noticing her sudden sadness, thinks up a plan to cheer her up.

"Ok, you caught me. I won't ruin anyone's day………yet. So for now, we'll go and find the Battousai. He should be done by now, and if he's not, he'll be glad to see you. You'll be a great escape from those fat, old lords." Sano said as they get up and head back inside, Sano able to trip one of the men before running inside, Kaoru following him and giggling.

Sano led her upstairs to a door and knocked loudly. A voice came from inside telling them to enter and Kaoru follows Sano in, looking around curiously before finding Kenshin and smiling softly. The room was empty except for Kenshin, a long table and stacks upon stacks of paper everywhere, and Kenshin with his hands in his hair, looking down at one of the papers. Kenshin had yet to notice them because he seemed so focused on the paper.

Sano smiles and slams the door shut behind him, laughing when Kenshin and Kaoru jump at the loud noise and Kenshin finally looked up, his face breaking into a smile when he sees Kaoru and getting up.

"Kaoru, Sano, what brings you here?" He asked as he walked over to them and kissed Kaoru on the cheek before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. Kaoru blushes and smiles up at him, letting him do as he wants with her because she knew that he was her master technically, even though she had never heard of a master that lavished his slave this much.

Not that she minded being held by Kenshin or all of the lavish things he did for her, or being known as his. Sure, it had pissed her off at first, what with everyone calling her his prize, but she had come to terms with the fact that she was his slave and that she was his. She had told herself at first that she would put up with him to keep her town safe, but now she could tell that she was falling for him.

"Sano was going to do something horrible to the men practicing outside, so I had to get him out of there." Kaoru explained as Sano put on an innocent face.

"He was, was he? Well, maybe we should throw him to Megumi, it seems like she hasn't attacked him yet." Kenshin said, chuckling softly and looking from Sano to Kaoru with a smile. Kaoru giggles and nods, smiling up at him and blushing a little at all the attention, not noticing Sano pretending to look offended.

"Well, I'm sure she wouldn't do anything to me. She loves me……I hope…" Sano said as he slipped out of the room, giving the two some private time. Kaoru giggles softly at his statement, still looking up at Kenshin and not noticing that Sano had left. Kenshin had though and was planning to take advantage of it.

Placing a hand on her cheek and smirking at the fact that she blushes at the softest touch of his, he leans down and kisses her softly. This time, she responded sooner than she had the night before and enjoyed it much more, her hands moving to lie on his chest as she does. Kenshin smirked against her lips before pulling away a little and looking into her eyes. Kaoru was blushing darkly and smiling up at him as she looked up into his eyes as well.

"So, how was your day?" He asked as he pulled a chair up and sat down, pulling Kaoru down into his lap and smirking as she squeaks before snuggling against him with a blush.

"It was fun. Sano and I wandered around for a while before watching the men doing katas outside. How was your day? Sano said that this was also known as the torture room and that you would be happy if we distracted you for a little while…" She explained, blushing again as she notices and feels his hand tracing the pattern on the skirt of her kimono right over her thigh.

"I'm very happy that you came and distracted me for a little while. He's aptly named it. All of this boring work is torture, though it's bearable when you have a beautiful woman waiting for you and willing to distract you from it." He said, looking up into her eyes and leaning up to kiss her again, enjoying how she shyly kissed him back and placed a soft hand on his cheek once she gathered up the courage.

He pulls out of the kiss and smirked at how she blushed but looked at him confusedly, wondering why he had stopped. He kissed her once more before lifting her up and getting up, carrying him out of the room bride-like and chuckling softly at the cute, embarrassed expression on her face and the way she wrapped her arms around his neck to cling to him, blushing darkly. He was about to lean down and kiss her again when Sano, Soujiro and a couple of other men ran up and bowed down, causing him to glare at them for ruining the moment and her to look at them confused.

"Sir, there is another lord here to see you and he won't leave until he does. We tried to tell him that you and your prize are together, but he wouldn't-"

"I'll see him. Sano, escort Kaoru back to our room please. I'm sorry Kaoru, I'll be up soon." Kenshin said as he put her back on her feet and kissed her once more before heading off with Soujiro and the other two men, leaving her dazed with Sano.


	5. Chapter 5

Kaoru and Sano walk slowly to her room, Kaoru wringing her hands a little as she finally asks the question that had been on her mind since Kenshin had first brought her to this castle

Kaoru and Sano walk slowly to her room, Kaoru wringing her hands a little as she finally asks the question that had been on her mind since Kenshin had first brought her to this castle.

"Is Ken….is the Battousai always this nice to his slaves?" she asked quietly as she looks up at Sano with a slightly worried look. When Sano started to laugh uncontrollably, she balls up her fists and whacks him over the head, glaring down at him. He lay on the floor, holding the lump on his head and still laughing. "What's so funny!?"

"What's funny is that you think Kenshin has slaves." He gasps out as he tries to calm down and regain his breath. "That was a funny one Missy; I have laughed like that in a while. That hurt though."

"He…..doesn't have any slaves? But….but I was told I was to come here to be his slave to keep him from attacking my town." Kaoru explained confusedly, running her fingers through her hair and suddenly noticing that they were standing outside of her room already.

"Who told you that?" He asked sharply. Sano's laughing had stopped at that as he stood up and looked down at her. It had been explained to Captain Saitou and the leaders of the city that Kaoru would be looked after but nothing had been said about her being a slave.

"Saitou. He said…." Kaoru trailed off as she started glaring at the wall. Sano moved back a little, pitying the wall and wondering what had clicked in her mind as she started up again. "That son of a bitch! He lied to me to make sure I was miserable, oh, I'm going to kill him!" She shrieks, stomping her foot on the floor hard and looking up at Sano.

'_Guess this is the real Kaoru, especially since she's been holding herself back because she thought she was a slave…poor Kenshin…'_ Sano thought as he looked down at the angry woman.

It was his turn to let out a yelp as Kaoru grabbed him by the wrist and started back down the hall and downstairs, outside to where the men had been practicing before. "Kaoru, where are we going?" He asked fearfully. She was almost as scary as Megumi when she was made.

"I'm furious and I need to practice my kendo. Now!" She yelled as she let go of his wrist and looked around, not remembering that she was in a kimono or that she didn't have a boken or something to practice with.

Sano did remember that though and knowing better than to anger an angry woman, he quick ran and got her a boken. The second the boken was in her hand, he went and stood on the edge of the field while she started doing her own katas, watching her curiously.

He'd seen women fighting before, there were even some other female assassins around the place, but Kaoru's katas were different from any style he had seen before. Gathering his courage and sensing that she had calmed down a little, he starts to ask her questions about it.

"What kind of style is that Missy?" He asked, breathing out a sigh of relief when she looks at him and smiles and starts explaining like she had for Kenshin just a few days ago. He listened with interest, taking the boken from her when she finishes and going to put it away before coming back and starting to lead her back inside.

"Sano…….if I'm not Kenshin's slave…..what exactly is the point of being his 'prize'?" Kaoru asked as they went up the grand staircase to her room. It had been a question that had been lurking at the back of her mind since he had told her that she wasn't Kenshin's slave.

"Well Missy, a 'prize' is something that each assassin in this place is allowed to have. When Kenshin asked the city to have you as a prize, it was pretty much him asking if he could bring you here and court you. That's how I got Megumi, from Tokyo. You might not have realized this, but Megumi is my 'loving' wife and has been for a year now. Now when an assassin claims a prize, it's when an assassin here meets a girl that he finds interesting and who he starts to like. That's why he's always happy to see you. Tell you the truth, he had told no one to disturb him before in the meeting room, but I knew that if I went in with you, he'd be happy and not kill me." Sano explained with a sly smile, looking down at Kaoru's expression, which was a dark blush and a look of disbelief.

"So……Kenshin likes me and has been courting me?" Kaoru asked in disbelief. That explained why he hadn't pushed her any farther than she wanted to go and why he hadn't taken her last night when she was in his bed last night. Kaoru's blush fades a little as she smiles up at Sano brightly. "Guess it's a good thing that I'm starting to like him too huh?"

Sano had to laugh at that and nod. This was great! Now that Kaoru was around, Kenshin wasn't as big of a tight ass as before because he was spending most of his time with her. Sano smiled down at Kaoru and put his hands behind his head.

"Yep, that's a great thing. Too bad he's off with that stupid Shishio all night, so you get the bed to yourself." He felt a little bad about telling her that, but it was the truth. Shishio dropped by four or five times a month to ask for Kenshin to join him in his plan to take over Japan. Kaoru's smile dropped a little at that and she nods.

"I guess that it makes sense. I can't monopolize his time…and it gives me more time to think as well, so I guess it's not all bad." She said as she looked up at Sano with a small smile. "I'm going to go to bed now, it's late and I'm tired."

Sano nods and waits for her to go inside before heading to his and Megumi's room, tired as well and missing his own prize. Inside her own room, Kaoru slips out of the kimono and grabs the nightgown that Kenshin had chosen for her, blushing a little each time she thinks about him.

She takes a quick bath before slipping on her nightgown and putting her wet hair up and then crawling into bed with a soft smile. Kenshin had been so gentle and sweet, doing everything that she wanted and putting her first, she was going to make it up to him when he came back to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Kaoru woke up the next morning and looked over at Kenshin's side of the bed, pouting sleepily when she saw that it hadn't been disturbed, meaning that Kenshin hadn't come to bed that night. She sat up and stretched before getting out of bed and yawning as she headed to the bathroom to get washed up and changed. She slipped on a light blue kimono today with koi fish embroidered at the bottom just as a knock came from the door and Sano's loud voice was heard.

"Hey Missy, you awake yet? Kenshin's still busy with Shishio, so you're stuck with me again." He explained as Kaoru smiled and headed over to the door, opening it and smiling up at him.

"I thought that would be the case, since Kenshin didn't come to bed last night." She said as Sano smiled down at her and nodded.

"Yeah, that bastard Shishio is a persistent ass. Hopefully Kenshin'll be able to get away tonight and get some sleep, otherwise he gets rather touchy. Though I'm sure he'd never snap at his precious prize." Sano teased playfully as he lead a now blushing Kaoru down the hallway to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

Angry shouts could be heard from somewhere else in the castle and Kaoru had a grim feeling that it is either Kenshin yelling or being yelled at.

"Sano….how long have you been an assassin?" Kaoru asked as they sat down at their normal table and Tsubame brought them their breakfast with a smile.

This wasn't the exact question she had wanted to ask, but she didn't want to blurt out the question that had kept popping up in her head since she had learned that Kenshin was an assassin.

"Well, I wondering when questions like that would pop up. Megumi asked me the second I brought her here after asking her to be my prize, but then again she's just nosy like that." Sano said with a bright smile before he started to wolf down his food. He tried to start explaining his history as an assassin but Kaoru stopped him and told him to wait a little bit since his mouth as full and food was spraying out everywhere.

They ate and chatted with each other, a routine that was starting to form from all of the time they were spending together, since Kenshin had designated Sano as Kaoru's personal bodyguard for when he couldn't be with her. Once they had finished breakfast, Sano led her to the gardens and they started to stroll around a little before he finally started his story.

"So, I've been an assassin for a while now, almost 15 years, since I was 14 years old. My parents died when I was young and I was adopted by the leader of the Sekihoutai, Souzou Sagara. He taught me how to fight and let me participate in missions with other members of the group."

"After he was killed, I was a fighter-for-hire for a little while before Kenshin asked me to join his growing group. Now I'm an assassin for hire." Sano explained as they walked with a bright smile on his face and his hands clasped behind his head. Kaoru was a little surprised from the story but one look at Sano's smiling face made her smile too.

"Wow, even from a young age, you were just a little delinquent, huh?" She joked playfully as they finally sat down on a bench by the little pond in the center of the garden. Sano just laughed and looked down at her with a knowing smile.

"Come on Missy, we both now it's not my story you wanted to know. I just indulged you because my story is just so amazing." He teased with a bright smile. "You want to know Kenshin's story."

Kaoru blushed and smiled sheepishly up at him, fiddling with the hem of one of her sleeves and nodding. "Well, yeah….but you're not going to tell me, are you?" she asked when she saw Sano's smile turning slightly conniving. He shook his head and got up.

"Nope, you'll have to ask him about that yourself. And I think now is a perfect time to do that!" He declared as he pulled her to her feet and led her inside to yet another part of the castle, to a pair of huge ominous looking doors.

The loud angry shouts most definitely came from here and some could still be heard from inside as Sano raised his fists and knocked. The noise quieted down as Kenshin's tired voice called out to them to come in.

Kaoru was already scared about going inside the room and the tone of Kenshin's voice only added to her concern as Sano pulled her inside. She followed him inside and looked around quietly in awe as Sano smiled at Kenshin and glared at a strange man who was wrapped in bandages who sat next to Kenshin.

Kenshin's face was furled in a mixture of anger and exhaustion, a look that Kaoru automatically did not like. She had never seen him angry before and was a little scared at how evil it made him look. As Kenshin looked up and saw her, his face relaxed into a tired smile and he got up, heading over to them and wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek softly.

"Hello Kaoru…Sano. Can I help you with something?" Kenshin asked as he looked up at Sano, whose smile just grew as he shook his head.

"Nope. We're here to help you, since the mummy over there-" Sano jerked his head in the bandaged man's direction, "didn't let you get to sleep last night. You're going to take a break and I'll entertain Shishio over there. I've missed him oh so terribly." Sano said before sending an evil smile over at a glaring Shishio. Kenshin just smiled and nodded, his eyes gazing down into Kaoru's.

"Ok Sano, just make sure you two don't get into a fight." Kenshin said as Kaoru smiled brightly up at him, happy to be able to spend time with him, finally. Shishio started to object but Sano ran over to him and settled down next to him, still smiling evilly.

"Oh, don't worry. We won't fight…" Sano said as Kenshin led Kaoru out of the room and back to their room. "Much."


	7. Chapter 7

Kaoru snuggled against Kenshin as she walked with him back to their room, her arms around his waist with his around her shoulder. She smiled up at him softly as he smiled down at her and leaned in to brush his lips against her, causing Kaoru to blush more.

"Mmm, I've missed this….I'm sorry I was in bed last night, but that bastard Shishio doesn't give up." Kenshin murmured against her lips before yawning and opening the door to their room once they got there.

"It's ok; it's your job…." Kaoru said quietly as they walked into their room and she closed the door behind them, letting Kenshin slip away from her to strip down to just his boxers, the way he usually slept and taking his red hair out of the ponytail, letting it hang loose around his face. Kaoru's blush grew darker but she smiled and grabbed her nightgown before going into the bathroom to change.

She came back in it to find Kenshin already in bed, curled up and asleep, which made her giggle softly. He looked like an adorable little kid, she thought as she crawled into the bed next to him and laid down. Her blush darkened as Kenshin's immediate reaction to her crawling into bed was to wrap his arms around her waist and pull in her close.

Kaoru smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him snuggle against her as she stroked his hair and yawned softly, smiling as she thought about how innocent and sweet Kenshin looked when he was asleep with a soft smile on his face and the way he was holding onto her like she was his favorite teddy bear.

She was slowly drifting off as well while thinking about how to bring up the subject of her growing feelings for him and if she would tell him about the little misunderstanding over the meaning of being an assassin's 'prize.'

She was also wondering when she would ask him the question that was bugging her about his past. She wanted to know more about him, since he was courting her and he obviously liked her as much as she liked him.

She slowly drifted off to sleep with a soft smile on her lips, feeling warm and safe in Kenshin's arms and hoping that he would be there when she woke up, unlike the last time she went to bed with him. Her wish was granted, for when she woke up the next day, Kenshin was still there, awake but still in bed.

He sat with his back against the headboard, one hand stroking her hair absently while the other held an important looking document that he was reading. He hadn't noticed her wake up, so she just snuggled closer to him and yawned as she relaxed under the feeling of his hand in her hair, the feeling eliciting purrs from her that made him smile and look down at her.

"Morning Koi….sleep well?" He asked as he continued to stroke her hair and silently enjoyed the sounds that he was able to coax out of her.

"Yes….I like sleeping in your arms." She purred as she smiled up at him with a soft blush. She reluctantly pulled away from his hand and sat up, stretching before sitting against the headboard and snuggling against him.

"What a coincidence, I like sleeping with you in my arms." Kenshin said with a smirk, his arm going around her waist and pulling her in closer as he leaned in and kissed her with all of the pent up feelings that he had been bottling up during the time he hadn't been able to see her. Kaoru let out a soft squeak and slowly started to kiss him back shyly, not used to him being quite so passionate in his kissing, before a loud knock came at the door, causing Kenshin to pull away and glare darkly at the door.

Kaoru giggled softly at the look on his face and laid a hand on his cheek to bring his attention back down to her as she smiled playfully and blushed a little again. She was slightly pissed about the interruption as well and was not as willing to let him go back to work so soon, not now that she had time with him and she wasn't under the delusion that he was her master.

Kenshin's smirk returned when he saw the playfulness in her eyes and something else that he could only hope was actually there as Kaoru leaned in and kissed him this time. Her kiss was soft and warm and when she pulled away, it was only so she could murmur against his lips so the person standing outside the door wouldn't hear her.

"Can't you stay here today? I don't want to share you with anyone else right now, especially not after not being able to see you for an entire day…" she said, making Kenshin's heart do a summersault and his smirk to widen. He laced a hand into her silky, ink black hair and pulled her in to kiss her again before answering her.

"I think I can pull that off. My only work is only reading over some reports and dealing with Shishio, so I think now would be a perfect day to have a day off and spend with my prize." He answered, enjoying the bright smile that it brought to her face. He was ecstatic about being able to spend time with the girl that was slowly stealing his heart as well and he knew that he had made a good choice in a prize.

"So, are we just going to ignore the knocking, or are you going to tell them off?" Kaoru asked, blushing a little at Kenshin's playful growl and giggling softly as he got up, a martyred expression on his face as he headed towards the door.

Kaoru gasped when he opened the door in only his boxers and glared at the person behind the door. Shishio didn't seem too happy about it either when his fervent knocking was met by a half naked Battousai and a blood-freezing glare.

Shishio was able to look around the room and take in the fact that Kaoru was in the bed in a nightgown, holding the bedsheet to her chest as she watched him and Kenshin in the doorway. Kenshin noticed Shishio's eyes linger on Kaoru and growled, though there was nothing playful about it this time. His normally violent eyes that were tinged with gold were slowly becoming fully amber, showing his patience growing thin.

"What?" Kenshin snarled, bringing Shishio's attention back to him. Shishio cleared his throat before starting.

"Battousai, you left our meeting yesterday and I'm not done talking to you. Now we can go back to the meeting room and talk or we can talk in front of your whore." Shishio said, a small smirk coming to his lips when he saw Kenshin's expression turn to one of pure rage.

That smirk was wiped away though when Kenshin slammed his fist into Shishio's face, sending him flying across the hall and bringing a few guards running to the commotion. Shishio stayed down and against the wall, though his glare almost rivaled Kenshin's as he rubbed his injured cheek.

"If you ever come to my private chambers again, or insult my prize, I will personally kill you." Kenshin threatened before stepping back into the room and slamming the door shut, leaning back against it and bowing his head, his red bang covering his amber eyes as he tried to calm himself down.

Kaoru waited until the door was closed before running over to him and laying her hands on his chest as she looked up into his eyes. She gasped when she saw that they were fully amber and pushed away the thoughts of how sexy he looked with those eyes, knowing that this was not the time for that.

"Are you ok, Kenshin?" she asked in a soft voice, one hand on his scarred cheek, stroking it soothingly.

"I'm fine….I'm sorry you have to see me like this…." He said as he covered her hand with his and smiled softly down at him, his eyes remaining their fire-filled amber and a soft smirk returning to his lips as his other hand went around her waist to pull her flush against him, enjoying the feeling of her body against his and the blush and squeak that it got out of her.

"It's ok…..I want to know everything about you, even your assassin side…" Kaoru said, her blush growing as she relaxed against his chest and the thoughts of his amber eyes being sexy mixing with the thoughts of his hard body feeling good against her soft one.

Kenshin's smirk widened, as if he knew where her thoughts were taking her, as he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her back to their bed and laid down with her underneath him.

He started to cover her neck with affection kisses and nips, enjoying that way the little noises of shyness and enjoyment that she made and the way she would giggle and squirm underneath him when he poked her playfully while kissing up and down her neck.

"Ok then, I'll tell you whatever you want to know…." He murmured against her neck as he continued to lavish attention on her. Her breathe came out in soft huffs and her mind was clouding over from the pleasure of what he was doing, but she realized her opening to ask her question about his past and she took it.

"How did you become an assassin?" she asked quietly, pouting a little when she felt him stop his attention on her neck and looking up at her with a soft, sad smile and a nod. He got off of her and let her sit up before sitting down with his back against the headboard and pulling her into his lap, her back against his chest and his arms around her waist.

"Very well, then I'll start at the beginning…"


End file.
